Teacher ruins Disney magic

[mnrose]

Shrug. My kids, who believe in Santa FAR longer than most kids, never thought any of the Disney "creatures" were "real." I never told them that they were. In fact, I told them the OPPOSITE so they wouldn't be scared by giant dogs running around the park. LOL.

I wouldn't say a word to the teacher myself.

 

[mousehockey37]

We are drawing conclusions based on the relayed story of a 1st grader. I don't think I'd be circling the wagons. With all the technology in use in our everyday lives, I believe kids are much smarter than they get credit for. I'd let it go, just let it go.

That's the interesting part. It's a 1st grader. They don't necessarily have a filter yet for creating a story vs actually telling what really happened. If you're not a teacher, go sit with a Kindergarten or 1st grade teacher on a Monday and have the teacher ask the kids (one by one) what they did or saw over the weekend... it'll blow your mind (because it's not made up).

 

[lisateaches]

I'll never forgot our first family visit to WDW when my daughter was five. She absolutely believed that the princesses and Mary Poppins were real. I was kind of shocked, but endeared. I am a teacher ( generally grades 3-5), and I say very vague or general statements in regards to Santa and such. Usually over half my class is Muslim. I usually say Santa is a pretty respectful guy and does not visit families who do not celebrate Christmas. ( ugh, need to take out one too many usuallys, but can't backspace. What is up with that?

 

[undertheradar]

I can't get the image of George Jetson at Kings Island out of my head. For years that costume had a cigarette burn on the top of the head, surely many kids saw that.

 

[nugov2]

I can't get the image of George Jetson at Kings Island out of my head. For years that costume had a cigarette burn on the top of the head, surely many kids saw that.

I don't know why but the mental image of this really made me LOL.

 

[Tiffylv]

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[bcla]

When I was in the first grade I already knew there was someone in the suit. The first sign was that Mickey's ears weren't always facing forward. It didn't make it any less fun for me. At that point I knew it was a manufactured experience and didn't care.

However, even at that age I watched Brady Bunch reruns, and they had an episode where some costumed character takes off her suit and is asked out on a date by Greg. That pretty much laid out the bare truth.

 

[disykat]

Like others, it had never occured to me before being on these boards that people specifically wanted their kids to believe a talking mouse was real.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

So I know you all love a good teacher thread, but this is not intended to be a teacher bashing thread. Today, my first grader comes home and tells me that Mickey is not real and there is a man or woman in the costume. One of her teachers told the class about this in the context of a lesson. I was upset, well disappointed really ,as we were hoping the magic would still be alive for 1 more trip. DH is quite upset and he wanted to contact the principal. I talked him out of that and convinced him that if he really wants to bring up the subject with the teacher, he should contact her directly. We are wondering how would you feel in this situation. Is it something that you would contact the teacher about or leave alone? Part of me wants to let it go because it's not a big deal in the grand scheme, however I know this revelation will lead to questioning of things like Santa, etc. She is our oldest, so this little milestone is new to us.

I'm hoping it was a lesson differentiating fiction and non-fiction. However, that was not the best example to give. I do think you should let the teacher know that you are disappointed in the example used and try to start a dialogue there. I do not think it warrants much past that unless the teacher fires back in a manner unbecoming and worthy of pursuing it with the principal. But you have to start with the teacher.

We have had great discussion this year about real/fake and how it relates to Disney/TV/etc. The kids have not expressly questioned the reality of Santa, Easter Bunny, Mickey, etc. but I'm pretty sure they know what's going on with them. They choose to believe in the magic, even though they understand the reality, and frankly, that's what it is all about, isn't it?

 

[Wishing on a star]

Okay, most of you know that I have seen way way more serious issues with schools and teachers.
This wouldn't even be a blip on the radar.
Not a hill to die on....
(Maybe mention this to somebody at some later time, in a general way, if you think that this might result in some increased sensitivity to this kind of thing, school-wide?)

Just my take.... This was my son's age when we took him to Disney.
Did he actually think the characters were 'real'... Probably not.
But we went thru the whole thing, promoting the Magic.

This was back when the big show at the staging area at the castle was Cinderella and Prince Charming.
It was their wedding, and all of the other princesses and princes were in attendance.

I was sure that I called at the earliest time, and made reservations for our lunch at Cinderella's Castle.
I went and got the fanciest parchment paper I could find, (A light Disney/Cinderella blue) used the fanciest fonts I could find, to print an invitation.
Complete with a fancy Disney Cinderella Sticker as the stamp.

We were cordially invited to attend Cinderella's Royal Wedding, and luncheon at the castle.

Did DS completely buy all of that...
Nope. Probably not.
Did he still enjoy the magic and the possibility?
I think he did... I sure hope so!

 

[bostonsnana]

I've had this identical conversation. Last year my grandson was a first grader. The first thing out of his mouth, when I had picked him up from school that day, was that their "Smartboard" wasn't very smart! When I asked why, he said "The Smartboard said Mickey Mouse was fiction! Isn't that the silliest thing you ever heard, Nana!" He never doubted for a minute that Mickey wasn't real! Thank goodness

 

[Missy1961]

I wouldn't say anything to the teacher or the principal. Every kid I know knew that Mickey, etc. weren't real, so if I had been in that teacher's shoes, I would have blown it for the kids.

 

[TaylorEar]

The first vivid memories I have of Disneyland are from when I was 5. I loved the characters in the movies/cartoons, but was really freaked out by the non-face characters in the park. I knew they were "fake", and were just people inside costumes (which is what actually freaked me out!). The next memory I have is from a trip we took when I was 6, with my brand-new baby sister in tow. I remember trying to convince this infant that Mickey (he's REAL!) wanted to see her - and starting to believe it myself! I think I realized in that trip that the people inside those costumes were embodying the "spirit" of the character that I loved. I never actually believed that I was talking to a life-sized mouse wearing a tuxedo... I believed in the spirit of the character and the happiness he represented.

Maybe tell your daughter that the spirit/message/joy/happiness of Mickey Mouse exists and that the Mickey you meet in the parks is just as real an anything else that makes her smile.

(Also - don't say anything to the teacher - just feel bad for them, as they have obviously never experienced the joy that is a good solid Mickey handshake followed by a hug!)

 

[Skywalker]

Add me as another one who would probably have unwittingly spoiled it for the kids because it wouldn't have been on my radar as something kids actually believed. Santa, yes of course. Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, yep. But Mickey Mouse? I didn't even know that was a "thing".

Would some parent complain if their teacher made a comment that Spiderman wasn't real? Or Superman? Or Indiana Jones? Should teachers just not teach the difference between fact and fiction at all just in case some parent wants their particular kid to enjoy a certain fantasy?

Again Santa etc., we can all agree that is a cultural tradition we pass on (even if we don't participate ourselves, we do know of it) but every fictional character now?

 

[MSLRAC]

I see no reason this needed to be brought up in class. I'd give the teacher a chance to tell her side & then remind her many small children still believe in things adults have long since given up. It's not her place to try to speed up the process.

This most certainly can come up in the classroom. Kindergartners and 1st graders work quite a bit with fiction and nonfiction and from my limited experience as a new teacher, Mickey Mouse is one of the first examples of a fictional character that a kid will give. I'm not going to tell a child they are wrong and Mickey is real to preserve the magic.

I would also find it comical if a parent contacted the principal or teacher about something like this.

 

[alicat8]

Like a lot of people are saying, it is entirely possible this teacher doesn't know it's a "thing" to tell your kids the characters are real. I don't think it would be horrible if you called and let her know gently that she may want to be careful around that topic in the future. She may just never have thought of it. We're a teacher family, and if parents disagree with what we've done (very rare as we are perfect ) it's ALL about how it's brought up to us. If it's done in a respectful and not accusatory way, no problem! It's the over the top, nasty "What are you doing to my child?!?! I know everything!" phone calls that get the lunchroom talks.

 

[Laura66]

So on top of everything else we expect of teachers - they are now also expected to uphold and perpetuate the fantasies WE have or think our children believe??

 

[Dawnlight]

Really, where is the line drawn? Maybe one child's favorite character is Peter the Rabbit or Pippi Longstocking. What if another child had brought Mickey or any Disney character up as fictional? Would you approach the teacher so she could counsel children to not spoil the magic for others?

 

[mnrose]

Really, where is the line drawn? Maybe one child's favorite character is Peter the Rabbit or Pippi Longstocking. What if another child had brought Mickey or any Disney character up as fictional? Would you approach the teacher so she could counsel children to not spoil the magic for others?

Such a good point. There are many, many fictional characters out there, and is the teacher supposed to teach that they are ALL real because there might be one child in the class who believes that they are. Learning to separate fact from fiction is an important skill, and first grade is an important place to start learning this lesson. I'm sure Mickey is used because he is well known by nearly every 5 or 6 year old.

I get the whole "Santa" thing (and even did it myself when my kids were small), but beyond that, it's a stretch to say the teacher can't use "this" or "that" fictional character to make her lesson point. Would we have a parent group draw up an approved list of fictional characters that can be used as an example? Really? And we wonder why teachers don't want to be teachers anymore.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

If once you start down the "That Parent" path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice.